Lyme: I'm not heading to Toronto and I may have to shut down my season.

Tues, July 16-Took off

Mon, July 15-Went to YMCA for 3 x (6:00 easy on treadmill + 4:00 lifting). Treadmill settings: 6.1, 7.1, 8.1.

Sun, July 14-4M run on trail in 30:00. Started at 7:53/mile and finished at 7:00/mile.

Sat, July 13-Hit the track for 3 sets of 3x150m in 20.25 (54-sec 400m pace); 2' rest, 6' rest between sets. I decided to do 3 sets of 2 at a target of 20.62 (55-sec 400m pace), given that I'm not 100% on account of Lyme and hamstring.

Set 1: 21.2, 21.8 (awful)
Set 2: 20.4, 21.3
Set 3: 20.1, 21.5

I am definitely suffering. Being our of commission has killed me. It's official. I'm not heading to Toronto and I may have to shut down my season. And just to think, three weeks ago a 53 sec 400 was within reach.

DJ and I headed to Icahn Stadium for a meet where GPTC teammate Ricky G., who I've been coaching, was set to compete. He wound up posting 50.49 in the 400m and 22.31 in the 200m to take down two of our clubs records (open division). He hasn't run 50.49 since college and his time in the 200m was a PR! I'm pleased with the progress he's made since I started officially working with him about a month ago. I guess I still got it--coaching!

Fri, July 12--1.5M run on Delaware Ave/Penn's Landing while at ISM institute. Very achy.

Thurs, July 11-2.5M run on Delaware Ave/Penn's Landing while at ISM institute. Very achy. Lyme Disease.

Wed, July 10-3.5M Recovery run on Delaware Ave/Penn's Landing while at ISM institute.

Trying to make a comeback

July 9-Drove from my ISM conference in Philadelphia to compete at GA. Seeded myself very modestly in 58. Had lane one in heat 3. Covered the first 200 in 27-high, the second in 30. Shut it down over the last 10-15 meters for 57.89.

Ran 200 from lane 6, heat 8! Won heat in a relaxed 26.22.

July 8-off

July 7-6x150s. 2@22-high, 2@22-low, 2@21-low

July 6-6x100s. 2@15-high, 2@14-high, 2@ 13-high

July 5-met up with Rickey, who was supposed to do 3x3x150 in 18.75. 2' rest between repeats and 6' between sets. I modified the workout beforehand and told him the workout was 3x2x150 in 18.75...with 90' rest between repeats and 5' rest between sets. He managed two sets: 18.4, 18.0 and 18.3 and 18.6. He refused a third set, on account of tightness and knee pain.

I did a few strides in 16-17 seconds.

Slowed

Thurs, 7/4/19-Went to trail to run 4.21M. I started at 8:05 pace, dropped to 7:50, slowed to 7:54, walked for a few minutes, and finished up in a 6:30 mile.


Wed, 7/3/19-AM: Warmed up a mile on treadmill, stretched pretty well, and then lifted a little.
PM: Met Ricky G. for a coaching session. Wound up warming up and stretching some.


Tues, 7/2/19-Ran 4M--usual route around YMCA.


Mon, 7/1/19-3 x (treadmill mile + 4:00 lifting/stretching) at YMCA. Miles were 8:25, 7:55, 7:25.


Sun, 6/30/19-Went to trail to run 4.21M in 8-minute mile pace.


Sat, 6/29/19-3 x (treadmill mile + 4:00 lifting/stretching) at YMCA. Miles were 8:25, 7:55, 7:25.


Fri, 6/28/19-took off

Here I go again. DAMMIT.

Thurs, 6/27/19-stationary bike, hamstring repair exercises

Wed, 6/26-nada

Tues, 6/25-light lifting and putzing around in fitness room at Mohonk Mountain House while on retreat.

Went to support teammates at Germantown Academy meet.

Thrilled for teammate Ricky Goettel, who posted a 51.10 and dropped a 22.54, his best since college 10 years ago. I've been coaching him. I expect he'll drop his 400 time by about a second and 200 time by about .3 or .4.  That would be a feat!

Mon, 6/24-nada. En route to Mohonk

Sun, 6/23--New Jersey USATF Champs - Peddie School, Hightstown, NJ 
I was hoping for a great day at the meet, my first there. On this hot but slightly windy day, my hope was to do 100 and 400. I registered late, having to reach out to the meet director for special permission after registration had closed before I could register. At any rate, I arrived to a mildly spirited atmosphere at the famed Peddie School.

I warmed up for the 100 and felt pretty good. The race did not go as planned. After a shaky start, I could not recover. Thus, my pedestrian time of 12.47 landed me third in my age group, behind teammate Ross O. Argh!  Oh well.

It was time to set my sights on the 400. After an hour or so, I began warming up. Then the meet fell behind. Several of us lingered in and out of the sun as we tried to time our warm up. Eventually, we were up. In my heat of four, I had lane 4. To my inside were two, one of them 30-something, the other in the 40-44 age group. The thirty-something was a 53-second guy. To my immediate outside was none other than Mark Williams, whose been dropping 53s and 54s like nothing. With the fastest guy in lane 3, me in lane 4, and Mark in lane 5, I figured it was my near-perfect heat. After the gun went off, I caught Mark at about the 75-100 meter mark. I felt good. The guy to my left, Micheal Perri, had caught me as well. For about 30 meters we were lock step. Mark surged some, and I followed suit. I then felt my half buckle and soon after I felt a pop in my hamstring. I had pulled AGAIN...and at the 150m mark AGAIN. DAMMIT. I had to be escorted to the training station/ambulance for treatment. Here I go again.

Easy peasy

Thurs, 6.20.19-

Went to YMCA at 6:30AM for 3 x (treadmill mile + 4:00 of stretch/lift). Easy peasy--8:30, 8:00, 7:30 for miles.

hoping for more today

Wed, June 19-

Met Rick G. at the track at The College of New Jersey at 9:00AM for for a 2x400 breakdown. Stepping up my game from last week's effort, I was supposed to run 250m in 33.5 seconds, rest for one minute, then hammer a 150m in 21 sec. Take a 12-minute rest, then do it again! 

I warmed up pretty well and used the Booster 2. After I shook off the nerves, I was ready.

Set 1:
250 in 33.5 (13/27/33.5)
150 in 21.6

Set 2:
250 in 33.9
150 in 21.2  

I was hoping for more today, but I'll accept this, particularly since I felt pretty comfortable on the second 250. 

Ricky did well with his 31-mid and 20-flat and was slightly bummed about his 33-low, 20-mid.

Dawn Sowell

In light of LSU's Sha'Carri Richardson breaking the women's 100m NCAA record, I wanted to post this not-forgotten video of Chester, PA native Dawn Sowell, who ran 10.78 in 1989.

Dawn Sowell's Amazing 100 meters 1989